The Ultimate Sewing Machine Quiz

The invention of the sewing machine revolutionized both the textile industry and home sewing. By significantly speeding up the process the sewing machine reduced labor costs, which in turn reduced the cost of clothing. The result was that clothes once considered luxurious were now available to most people around the world. Take our quiz to test what you know about this brilliant invention.

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Question 1 of 20

Which of these would you call the heart of the sewing machine?

the foot pedal

the needle clamp

the looping mechanism

Just as the automobile was built around the idea of an internal combustion engine, the sewing machine was built around the idea of a looping stitch mechanism.

Question 2 of 20

Which of these best describes the traditional hand-sewing method?

through one side and then the other

When you sew by hand you pass the needle through one side of the cloth, turn the needle, and then pass it through the other side.

through the same side each time

through the cloth once and that's it

Question 3 of 20

How does the method employed by machines differ from the standard approach?

It requires a special thread.

You have to use a unique cut of cloth.

The machine loops the thread back onto itself.

Rather than pass the needle through one side and then the other, the sewing machine simply pushes the needle part of the way through, catches the resulting loop, and pulls the thread up onto the back of the cloth before repeating the process.

Question 4 of 20

Rather than using a new method why weren't sewing machines designed to imitate the hand stitch?

The standard method was patented.

Mechanizing the method would be too difficult.

You can use your dexterity to turn a needle around before pushing it through the other side of a cloth. To mechanize that process would be extremely difficult.

The designer wanted the challenge.

Question 5 of 20

Where is the eye of a sewing machine needle located?

near the tip

The eye of a sewing machine needle is located near the tip of the needle, unlike a standard needle where the eye is near the end.

it has no eye

near the end

Question 6 of 20

What is the purpose of the needle bar?

to protect your fingers

to keep the cloth flat

to hold the needle

The needle bar is what holds the needle as it moves up and down.

Question 7 of 20

Which of the following would you call the simplest looping stitch?

the lock stitch

the chain stitch

To perform a chain stitch a machine will simply loop one piece of thread back onto itself. The process is quick, but the result is not very sturdy.

the lilo and stitch

Question 8 of 20

What is the purpose of a presser foot?

to run the motor

to keep the needle in place

to keep the cloth flat

The presser foot keeps the cloth flat while the machine drives the needle up and down.

Question 9 of 20

Which of these best describes the function of a feed dog?

to tie knots in the cloth

to keep the cloth moving forward

As the machine sews the cloth the feed dog pushes the cloth forward. This allows the machine to perform even stitches down the length of the cloth.

to provide energy to the motor

Question 10 of 20

Which of these really just a spool of thread?

the bobbin

The bobbin is nothing more than a spool of thread that you can find in the middle of the sewing machine's shuttle.

the freeze latch

the crank

Question 11 of 20

How many threads do you need for a lock stitch?

only 1

at least 2

The value of a lock stitch is that it joins one thread to another, which produces a much stronger stitch than you can produce with a chain stitch.

3 or more

Question 12 of 20

Which of these components grabs the loop of a chain stitch?

the looping crank

the looping striker

the looping hook

As the needle begins to pull upward, the looping hook grabs the loop of thread produced by the downward stitch. The forward movement of the cloth combined with the upward stitch loops the thread onto itself.

Question 13 of 20

How does the shuttle hook help a sewing machine perform a chain stitch?

by catching one of the threads

The shuttle hook catches the thread pushed into the cloth by the machine's needle. It then loops this thread around the thread of the bobbin, which creates a very sturdy stitch.

by keeping the cloth from slipping

by keeping the threads apart

Question 14 of 20

Which of these pulls the needle up and down?

the foot pedal

the crank

The motor of a sewing machine is attached to the drive shaft. At the end of the drive shaft of a conventional sewing machine lies the crank, which is what drives the needle up and down.

the gears

Question 15 of 20

What does the tension disc assembly allow you to do?

adjust the tension of the thread

Not all fabrics are sewn with the same level of tension. The tension disc assembly allows you to adjust the tension as you need.

control the direction of the needle

save energy

Question 16 of 20

What basic rule can you follow when setting the tension of the thread?

tighter thread for thinner fabrics

Cloth will offer resistance based on its thickness. You want to compensate for that by tightening the thread when you sew a thin fabric, and loosening the thread when you sew a thick fabric.

tighter thread for thicker fabrics

the tighter the thread the better

Question 17 of 20

What component do you use to control the motor of the sewing machine?

the cam shaft

the drive wheel

the foot pedal

Attaching the motor to a foot pedal allows you to control the speed of the stitching while keeping your hands free to attend to the cloth.

Question 18 of 20

How do you achieve a zigzag pattern when sewing on a conventional machine?

by using a special foot pedal

by moving the mechanism from side to side

Because the feed dog is already moving the cloth forward as you sew, all you need is to move the mechanism from side to side and you will get a zigzag pattern.

by adding a zigzag feed dog to the machine

Question 19 of 20

High-end sewing machines have which of the following components?

a second foot pedal

a link switch

a built-in computer

The modern high-end sewing machine, like many other modern machines, has a built in computer. These computers can control many kinds of motors, and can store numerous stitch patterns.

Question 20 of 20

Certain advanced sewing machines have the ability to perform which of these special techniques?

embroidery

Some sewing machines can actually create highly intricate embroidery patterns! These machines have work areas that keep the fabric properly placed, and special sensors that communicate with the built-in computer.